Car roof



Deg. 29 1925- R. D. HAWKINS CAR ROOF 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 27 1924 [/WUv TOR:

Dec. 29 1925- R. D. HAWKINS CAR ROOF Filed 0ct. 2" 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 29, 1925.

UNITED STATES ROBERT D. HAWKINS, OF WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA.

GAR 3001.

Application filed October 27, 1924. Serial No. 746,011.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT D. HAWKINS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Wilmington, in the county of New Hanover and State of North Carolina', have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Car Roofs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to flexible car roofs and has for its principal object to produce a roof of simple and economical construction that is easy of application and that will readily adapt itself to the distortions of the car body incident to service conditions. Another'object is to utilize the roof seams or joints as drain channels for draining off any water that may enter said joints. Another object is to secure effective ventilation of said joints and thus prevent sweating or the accumulation of moisture on the surfaces .-"of the parts forming said joints. Other obtions and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is a plan viewof a portion of the car roof embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is'an enlarged vertical transverse section through one-half of the car roof on.

the line 2-2 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section through one of the seams at the ridge, the section being taken on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a'vertical cross-section through one of the seams adjacent to the eaves, the section being taken through one of the se curing bolts for the cap strip on the line 14 inFig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the eaves portion of the roof 1n the region of one of the roof joints, parts being shown broken away to more clearly illustrate the invention,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the eaves portion of the roof in the region of one of the roof joints, showing a modified form of eaves construction, and

Fig. 7 is a vertical cross-section taken adjacent to the carline on the line 77 in- Fig. 6.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 5 of the accompanybounded by said carlines and side plates and have thelr ends rigidly secured to the .la' ter; and it also comprises seam cover p ates 9 that overlap the side margins ofadjacent roof sheets from side plate to slde plate and are rigidly secured thereto.

As shown in the drawing, the side plates 7 are of substantially Z-shaped cross-section and have their web portions disposed horizontally and have their inner flanges disposed uppermost and their lower flanges uppermost. The carlines 6 are of substantially channel-shaped section and have lateral flanges 10 at the top of their side walls which project outwardly therefrom and serve as supports for the side marginal portions of the roof sheets. The carlines are deepest at the ridge and gradually decrease in depth towards the eaves Where they terminate in end flanges 11 that project below and on opposite sides of the channel; the ends of the channel-shaped body portion of the carline being left open to provide for drainage and ventilation of the channel. The carlines are arranged with their depending end flanges 11 overlapping the outer faces of the upstanding flanges of the side plates; and the webs or bottoms 01 the channel-shaped (1y portions of said carlines slope downwardly on opposite sides of the rid e to secure effective drainage or the channe l.

The roof sheets 8 are referably made of thick enough gage to e self-supporting and are provided with depending end or eaves flanges 12 that overlap the outer faces of the upstanding flanges of the side plates and are rigidly secured thereto by rivets. The roof sheets are supported along their side margins on the lateral top flanges 10 of the carlines and have depending side marginal flanges 13 located within channelshaped body portions of the carlines. The depending side, marginal flanges of adjacent sheets lie in the channel-shaped body portions of the carlines where am Is clearance space is provided to permit t e sheets to adapt themselves to the distortions of the car frame.

The roof sheets are held down on the lateral top flanges of the carlines by the seam cover plates 9, each ofwhich comprises a flat plate which rests upon the spaced side margins of adjacent sheets and spans the spaces therebetween. The seam cover plates are of a width correspon'dlng to the overall width of the carlines and have depending end flanges 14 that overlap adjaplate and are provided with suitable adjusting and locking nuts 16. By this arrangement the seam covers are firmly held in position and serve to hold the side marginal portions of the sheet down onthe lateral flanges of the carlines without being clamped, thereby permitting slight sliding movement of the sheets in response to the distortions of the car frame.

Running boards 18 extend longitudinally of the car at the ridge and are supported on.

running board saddles 19 of substantially Z-shaped section. The lower or base flanges of the Z-shaped running board saddles 19 rest on the seam cover plates and are secured thereto by means of the bolts 15 located in the carline at points adjacent tothe ridge. The running boards rest on the lateral top flanges of the running board saddles and are bolted or otherwise rigidly secured thereto.

The depending end flanges of the seam cover plates are bowed or bulged outwardly,-as at 20, opposite the channel portion of the carlines, thereby leaving downwardly opening spaces between the end flanges of said seam cover plates and the ends of the carline, and forming outlets which permit free circulation of air througlrthe hollow seams formed by the carlines and seam cover plates and serve also as drainage openings to permit the discharge of water that may enter said joints.

In the modified construction shown in Figs. 6 and 7 the carlines 6 rest on and are riveted to the outwardly projecting lateral flanges of angle bar side plates 7 and have downturned lip portions at the engls of their webs and lateral top flanges that overopenings in the ends thereof.

' meme! hang the outer edges of said side plates. The cap. strips; 9 have depending eaves flanges 14 that overhang the ends of the carlines and thus prevent water or cinders from blowing into the carlines through the At the eaves, the roof sheetsS are supported between the carlines-6 by -means of eaves strips 30 of substantiall Zshaped section. One flange of each strip 30 rests on and: is riveted to the top flanges of the side plates; and the other flanges projects outwardly beyond the side plates and is riveted to the undersides of the roof sheets. The cap strips 9 are strengthened in the region of the securing bolts 15 by means of transverse corrugations 31- disposed one on each side of each bolt. These corrugations serve to prevent bending or buckling of-thecap strips in the region of the bolts when the bolts are tightened to clamp the roof sheets in position.

It is noted, that by reason of theabove described construction, the roof sheets are kept in proper position and that their depending side flanges which project into the channel portions of the carlines prevent undue movement thereof, but that in the case of the distortion of the car frame, the sheets are free to move to the extent necessary to 95 prevent undue stress thereon. It is also noted that all ofv the securingbolts for the seam cover plates and running board saddles are located within the channel-shaped body portion of the carlines, whereby any water entering the bolt holes will run down said bolts into the carlines and be discharged at the openings in the ends thereof.

Obviously, the hereinbefore described arrangement admits of considerable modifica: tion without departing from the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise arrangement shown.

What I claim is:

1. Acar roof comprising channel-shaped carlines extending from slde plate to side plate and rigidly secured thereto, roof sheets extending from side plate to side plate with their side margins supported on the side walls of adjacent carlines, ca strips ex- 115 tending from side plate to 'si e plate and covering the carlines and the side marginal portions of the sheets supported thereby, and means for securmg said caps in position,

said means comprising a plurality of upright fastening members removably engaging said cap. strips and permanently secured directly to the webs of the carlines.

2. A car roof comprising channel-shaped carlines extending from side plate to side plate and rigidly secured thereto, roof sheets extending from side plate to side plate with their side margins supported on the side walls of adjacent carlines, and ca strips of fiat section extending from side plate to side 9 plate and covering the carlines and the marginal portions of the sheets supported thereby, and means permanently'secured to said carlines, for detachably securing said caps in position, said cap strips being turned down at the eaves over the ends of the carlines and'rigidl secured to said side plates, the do'wnturned eaves end portions of said cap' strips being formed with hollow ribs which extend upwardly from the lower edges of said capstrips and merge into the upper surfaces thereof inside the downturned eaves ends thereof.

3. A'car roof comprising channel-shaped carlines extending from side plate to side plate and rigidly secured thereto, roof sheets extending from side plate to side plate with their side margins supported on the side walls of adjacent carlines, and cap strips extending from side plate. to side plate and coverin the carlines and the marginal portions 0 the sheets supported thereby, and means for securing said caps in position, said means comprising a plurality of upright fastening members permanently secured directly to the webs of the carlines between the side flanges thereof and removably engaging said cap strips, said cap strips having transverse strengthening ribs formed therein on opposite sides of said fastening members.

4. A car roof comprising channel-shaped carlines extending from side'plate to side late and rigidly secured thereto, said carines having lateral flanges at the tops-of their side walls, roof sheets extendin from side plate to side plate with their adjacent side marginal portions resting on the lateral flanges of adjacent carlines, said roof sheets having depending flanges at their adjacentsides lyin within the carlines, cap strips extendin from side plate to side plate and covering t e carlines and the marginal portions of the sheets supported thereby, and means for securing said caps in position, said means comprising a plurality of upright bolts having shouldered portions restin on webs of the carlines and portions exten ing through said webs and riveted directly thereto.

5. A car roof comprising channel-shaped carlines extending from side plate to side plate and rigidly secured thereto, roof sheets extendin from side plate to side plate with their si e margins supported on the side walls of adjacent carlines, cap strips of flat section extending from side plate to side plate and covering the carlines and the marginal portions of the sheets supported thereby, and means for securing said caps in position, said means comprising a plurality of upright bolts permanently secured directly to the webs of the carlines between the side flanges thereof and removably engaging said cap strips, the roof sheets and ca strips being turned down at the eaves an ri idly secured to the outer faces of the side p ates, the downturned eaves portions of the cap strips being formed with outstanding hollow ribs that extend upwardly from the lower edges of said cap strips and mer e into the u per surfaces thereof inside tie downturne eaves ends thereof.

Signed at Wilmington, North Carolina, this 1st day of October, 1924.

' ROBERT D. HAWKINS. 

